Histochemical Properties of Fast Twitch Muscle in the Rat

A histochemical study of muscle fibers comprising the extensor digitorum longus muscle of adult female Wistar rats was carried out in which Acid ATPase, Alkaline ATPase, Phosphorylase and SDHase determinations were used to classify muscle fibers. On the basis of Alkaline and Acid ATPase determinations three classes of muscle fibers were determined, Dark, Intermediate and Light, respectively. On the basis of Phosphorylase and SDHase, two classes of muscle fibers were found, classed as Dark and Light fibers. Therefore fibers could be identified within the muscle of 13 different types. An analysis of the muscle on this basis is compared with that of other muscles in the rat and with muscles of other species studied with either cytochemical or physiological techniques.